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The Braves stadium has absolutely re-invigorated a dead Cumberland area, as even outside the immediate battery area, there has been new development, including housing, office and retail. Take a circle 2 miles around the battery and see what has been started there; the change is dramatic.

Add the that the success of the development in the Battery. The 2 apartment developments filled up and have sold at midtown Atlanta prices. There are buckets of taxes coming into the Cobb coffers (transfer taxes; real estate ad valorem taxes) that were not there before, and those numbers would be way more than any additional costs Cobb County is incurring in this area.

The fact of the matter is that this development (the stadium) worked and did everything that was promised, in the way of creating a market and re-development.

It is also way easier to get in and out of than Turner Field, for a variety of reasons, so all of those people who whined about the coming disaster there were wrong about that, too.

So the Google Maps solid red traffic overlay around the interchange of the I-285 Loop and I-75 in the late afternoon is #FakeNews then??

2 points:

1. It is comparative ("easier than...Turner Field"), so the very obvious answer is "yes, as Turner field sits right next to 75/85-look at that in the "late afternoon".

2. I do not know if you are from the area, but there are other very good ingress/egress points from the Battery on 41 and out the back onto Powers Ferry road.

I am certain about points 1 and 2. Another point which I am not sure of, but suspect, is that the fact that there are things to do (bars to go to; restaurants to frequent) as a part of the Battery allow a better disbursal of the crowds coming and going. Outside of Turner field did not have much in the way of restaurants and bars; the battery does, so a dinner an hour before at Antico is a viable option that did not exist for Turner Field.

The Battery is wonderful. My kid and I decided to get to the game super early last Sunday to explore and it was so refreshingly surprising to see the streets, sidewalks, and shops absolutely teeming with Braves fans over four hours from the first pitch. It's really going to shine during postseason play.

There is/was a housing boom throughout Cobb County. Cobb county spent 400 million (borrowed)to get less than that in tax revenue and they are still handing subsidies to get people to build at the battery. See the German elevator company that is getting at least 15 million to build there.

In terms of traffic the 285/75 interchange has always been a nightmare and I haven't noticed a difference with the presence of the braves.

In terms of the battery it is a fun little place and it will be interesting to see what businesses last there and which go out of business. Places like Antico and El Felix are places that seem like they can do well year round. But a lot of the other places seem like they are going to be doing the bulk of their business on game day.

There was no direct transit access to Turner either. You got off at either 5 Points and took a bus, or GAST and walked a mile and change in the summer heat. As a resident of Fulton County, I continue to applaud Cobb for finally bellying up and footing some of the metro area bill for a change.

The 2 apartment developments filled up and have sold at midtown Atlanta prices.

Hmmmm. I don't dispute your assertion that Battery ATL has been a boon for redevelopment around Cumberland. It quite clearly has. And it has also clearly changed the culture of Braves fans taking in a game. There was zero pedestrian traffic or business around Turner Field.

That said, an entry level studio apartment with 700ish square feet, in the apartments within Battery ATL itself, start around $1350 per month and go from there. Entry level into a similarly sized studio in Midtown would start closer to $1650 per month, and rise from there with space and amenities.

I recall at the time of the announcement that the braves were putting their apartments up for sale that they had actually lowered monthly rents as an inducement to get people to sign another year lease. That isn't something one does in a "hot" market.

Fair enough. I live off of the East MARTA line, and would typically take the Five Points shuttle to the game, and walk to GA State afterwards. The options to Suntrust still look completely unappealing to me (although I haven't used them).

I don't think there are any units left for $1350 in the "official" Battery apartments, at least there weren't when I looked a month or two ago. It seemed like you had to pay $1500 minimum for a 1BR at the Battery. The place around the corner--Reserve at the Ballpark or whatever they're calling it--might have some studios for that price.

Those rents are just amazingly cheap from the perspective of someone who has lived in the NE and bay area.

You might not call it a "studio." In Atlanta, a "small" 1-bedroom apartment will be 650-800 sq ft. In the poshier parts of town, that would run you 1700-2500 per month. Rent in ATL is growing faster than wages for working people, but it's still far more reasonable than the NEC or Bay. There's a reason the northern arc of the Atlanta metro is populated in large part by migrant families from those areas. They can buy a 5 bedroom house with a half acre lot in Kennesaw for what you'd pay per month for a studio in Brooklyn.